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Caching Turtles and [To go immediately to the "How-To" Page of Catching Freshwater Turtles, please click HERE] Welcome to The World's First, Only and Official website dedicated to the delicate art of catching freshwater turtles. Grand Turtle Master- Brad Gottlieb has has over twenty years of experience in catching turtles, and is regarded as the most experienced and adept freshwater turtle hunter in the world today. The primary species of turtles referenced here are the Painted turtle, and the Common Snapping Turtle (shown below), although these techniques can be applied liberally, to most freshwater turtle species.
Turtle hunting is a sport of catch-and-release, founded by Brad Gottlieb when he was 10 years old. Turtles are never killed or harmed...so the name may be a bit confusing.......the word 'Hunt' merely tries to convey some of the challenge that turtle-hunting provides. Catching Turtles is a cat-and-mouse game requiring patience and skill...it involves sitting silently...motionless......waiting for that perfect moment to execute the perfect strike with your net. If you wish to become such a skilled hunter as this.....you have indeed journeyed to the right place.
So what is the appeal of turtle hunting? Well, quite simply....it's incredibly challenging. It may sound simple, but turtles are easily-frightened and elusive animals. Even using one of Brad's advanced turtle-hunting nets, the challenge is still fraught with frustration, and danger....well, not that much danger really, but it sure makes it sound a lot more intense if I put that down, doesn't it?
Thank you for visiting the Turtle-Hunting page...here, we'll introduce you to a bit of turtle-hunting history, and maybe one day even you, will find yourself out on a hunt. Scroll down below to learn about the history of turtle-hunting, and see photos of some turtle masters, and Brad Gottlieb, the Grand Master, in action. On the other hand...if you want to get right down to business and learn how to turtle hunt- what equipment you'll need...what techniques to use...etc. Please click HERE to visit the official 'How-To' turtle hunting page, which will provide all new turtle-hunters-to-be will any and all of the information they'll need to get out there and get Turtle-hunting!
The History and Practice of Modern Freshwater Turtle Hunting Since first discovering a baby painted-turtle in the mud at 7 years old, Brad Gottlieb- The Doc of Rock has long had a love affair with these creatures....a love affair that has spawned a new sport- Turtle Hunting. Heart Lake, named for it's heart-shape lies in Northeast Minneapolis. This is the fertile-turtle hunting grounds where the sport of turtle-hunting has developed into an obsession for many. Heart lake has an incredibly large population of snails, and weeds, which provide ample feeding for both painted....and also snapping turtles. Here, Brad (right) and Jonny P. (left) pose ouside of their cars in the parking lot across the street from Hart lake. In their hands are the custom designed turtle hunting nets designed by Grand Master Turtle Hunter- Brad Gottlieb. Each net has a special bolt-on extended handle, adding 4 feet of length to the net overall. At the end of the handle, a rope is attached through a hole on the end. This rope coils out for 4 additional feet, finally ending in a slip-knot that goes around the hunter's wrist. This custom addition to the net allows for the hunter to have the ability to drop his net into deep or murky water, without fear of losing it...and also allows for the throwing of the net towards a distant target- an extremely difficult technique known to turtle-hunters as: 'Tossing The Bucket'
In the below two pictures....Brad (left), Jon, and Steve all prepare to do some Turtle-Hunting, as they load up Brad's car with the gear. You'll notice in Jon's hands, there is the net....and in Brad's hands there is the special net-extender referenced above, including the custom wrist-attachment. The pendant on Brad's necklace is a turtle.
Turtle Hunting is not a sport for the faint. Only the manliest of men (shown below) can claim to be actual turtle-hunters.
Steve and Jon finish packing up Brad's car, the 'Millennium Falcon' with the necessary equipment....the adventurers are prepared to make their 1-mile trek to Heart lake.
After packing up the gear and journeying to Heart lake, the raft is inflated and the nets are assembled. The hunting party is preparing to take their game to the next level. The three-man raft was occasionally employed to take all three of these noble adventurers to sea, but fairly frequently, one lone warrior would wait on the shoreline, creating a double-front assault on the turtles that was both brilliant, and suave.
The abandoned parking lot of the old, abandoned Apache 6 movie theater was a fantastic base of operations for the turtle hunters. All wore polarized sunglasses to reduce sun glare off of the water's surface, effectively allowing these crusaders to see deep into the water...or at least, as deep as the murk allowed.
As the raft (amicably nicknamed: The Turtleizer) inflates, Jon and Steve prepare themselves for the dangers that loom ahead. The raft was inflated with a small air compressor brought by Steve that plugged into the car's cigarette lighter.
The Turtleizer still lives on to this day....and is brought out each year for another, ceremonial turtle hunt. Typically, there is at least one re-visit to Heart lake, for tradition's sake, but occasionally, new areas are tested for their turtle-hunting qualities...though none as yet quite compare to the fertile, murky waters of Heart lake.
The hunt. Below, Brad waits patiently while shore-hunting for turtles. Shore hunting is a delicate waiting game, requiring patience, silence, and the absolute absence of motion. Turtles are very sensitive to sound vibrations, and to movement, and the slightest movement or noise will cause them to fall off of their resting logs, and/or dive under the water in a frantic escape. Once submerged, the chances for successfully capturing a turtle are virtually non-existant.
Shore-hunting, although occasionally fruitless and tedious, can be very rewarding. Here, Brad shows off a newly-caught baby painted turtle. Smaller turtles are valued much higher on the point scale for a catch as opposed to a larger turtles.
Jon waits at the Southern shore of Heart lake, preparing to execute a daring jumping attack towards a resting turtle. Turtles frequently come out of the water when the sun is shining to absorb energy from the sun...although tempting in appearance, a log full of resting turtles actually poses one of the greatest challenges in turtle-hunting....as it's almost impossible to net them while they're on the log itself, and once they drop into the water...your chances are very slim for a catch. This difficulty is what makes Turtle-Hunting such an exciting and enrapturing event.
Jon eyes up the water's surface at the foot of the infamous Heart-lake Bonzai hill! The Bonzai, invented by Jon and Brad is an incredibly advanced turtle-hunting technique that you should not attempt yourself, without specific training from either Jon, Brad or Steve in the Turtle-Hunting arts. To execute a Bonzai, you must stand at the top of this incredibly steep ledge (shown below, although the picture does not do justice to show just how steep the slope is)...while you stand at the top of the hill, you must wait until you see the familiar shape of a turtle's head poking out of the water, somewhere out from the base of the hill. Once spotted, you yell: "Bonzai!" and jump onto the dirt hill....you must then ski down the hill on your shoes, and when you approach the bottom...you launch yourself INTO the lake, extending your net to where you anticipate the turtle has gone in an attempt to catch it.
This Bonzai technique is so difficult for a number of reasons: 1) The initial yell usually frightens the turtle, giving them a very early opportunity to escape underwater. 2) Skiing down the steep, dirt slope in your tennis shoes is quite a bit more difficult than you might think. 3) Launching yourself into the water and extending your next to the exact place that the turtle has gone under to, is both extremely unlikely, and also incredibly difficult. A properly-executed Bonzai with results (a caught turtle) is the most difficult and advanced of all Net-Turtle-Hunting techniques. Even Brad and Jon, the Bonzai pioneers have themselves only successfully pulled off this stunt a handful of times over the years, but it's difficulty makes success all the more sweet when it happens. Below, Jon moves positions at the bottom of the Bonzai hill....preparing to find a new location to settle into for the hunt.
Turtle Hunting is a delicate dance between patience and dexterity. Below, Jon slowly, and as quietly as possible skids (evidenced by the dirt trail) down the sloping, heavily wooded shoreline in attempt to position himself for a proper launching. Once positioned properly, Jon will wait for what he feels is the right moment to spring his trap and he will launch himself into the lake, net-first with his deadly accuracy aimed at the unsuspecting turtle. Naturally, this launching process is loud and obvious, so typically the turtle will have quite a head-start on the hunter...but the more experienced the hunter is, as Jon is, the more they can predict where the submerged turtle will go, without seeing them. Even still....accurately predicting this, and then executing an attack that is perfectly accurate is a difficult challenge for even the most skilled Turtle Hunter....which is again why Turtle-Hunting is so addictive and engaging.
Special mention should be made to The Doc of Rock's Father- David Gottlieb (shown below), who will frequently show up at Heart Lake with snacks, beer and water for the brave turtle hunters. Brad, Jon and Steve all extend a special thanks to Dr. G for this!
Your introduction to Turtle Hunting has just begun....please continue your Turtle-Hunting journey with us by continuing to the second turtle hunting page by clicking the link below. Raft Hunting is coming up....
How To Catch A Turtle Catching a Turtle
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